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Copyright 1994 by the Christian Research Institute.
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"News Watch" (a column from the Christian Research Journal, Summer
1990, page 35) by William M. Alnor.
The Editor-in-Chief of the Christian Research Journal is
Elliot Miller.
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*UFO Cults Are Flourishing in New Age Circles*
A leading East Coast New Age magazine, _New Frontier,_ recently
ran a "dirt for sale" advertisement in its November issue. But this
one had a twist -- the dirt had allegedly been supercharged by
extraterrestrials (ETs). It stated:
_UFO LANDING site radiates cosmic energy, alters psychic
awareness. Soil samples $5 -- p&h._
Not surprisingly, the Boulder, Colorado firm that ran the ad
did not respond to a letter asking for proof that there was
something unusual about the dirt.
While it is not immediately known how many people actually sent
in their $5, the appearance of such an ad is not unusual. Alongside
all the ads bought by New Agers -- peddling crystals, "power
within" seminars, and channeling sessions -- are news bits about
recent UFO landings, announcements of upcoming UFO conferences, and
advertisements from some of the nation's leading names in the field
of UFOs and the New Age. Some of the ads are placed by alleged
"walk-ins," people who claim that ETs have literally invaded their
bodies and can be summoned up (sometimes for a fee) to share wisdom
and Ann Landers-type advice.
In short, more and more people today are saying UFOs have
landed. And while proof that they have seems consistently elusive,
it is clear that _the phenomenon_ of UFOlogy -- a fascination with
UFOs and alleged space creatures -- has landed squarely in the
middle of the New Age movement.
What is behind the recent resurgence of interest in UFOs,
particularly in New Age circles? Los Angeles Christian journalist
Stuart Goldman says one reason for the rise in interest is the
unbelievable success of science fiction/horror writer Whitley
Streiber's 1987 book, _Communion_ (which soared to number one on
the _New York Times_ best seller list), and his recent sequel,
_Transformation._
In his books, Streiber alleges that he was abducted by UFO
creatures and subjected to incredibly harrowing experiences, some
of them sexual. Following publication of his books, Streiber formed
"Communion" support groups throughout the country for people who
claim to have had similar abduction experiences. These too have
been growing.
In an unpublished manuscript, Goldman suggests that Streiber's
approach to the UFO phenomenon has fit the New Age movement well
because it is "a much more Shirley MacLainesque approach." Goldman,
who claims to have infiltrated Streiber's group, wrote that
Streiber calls the aliens "visitors" who have possessed his body.
And, says Streiber, they "are not necessarily extraterrestrial at
all, but rather interdimensional beings who have come here to take
man on a journey through his own consciousness" for the betterment
of the planet.
In _UFO Abductions: A Dangerous Game,_ UFO investigator Phil
Klass writes: "Streiber's remarks suggest that he now sees himself
as a modern-day messiah who has been chosen to warn the people of
this planet, bringing them not the Word of God, but of the
omniscient UFOnauts."
Goldman, who has appeared on numerous television and radio
shows -- including "Good Morning America" and "Hard Copy" -- says
there are many reasons to be wary of Streiber's message, as well as
those proclaimed by other UFO enthusiasts. First and foremost is
that Streiber and others have been heavily involved in the occult
prior to their "abduction" experiences, which could mean demons --
not aliens -- are toying with them.
"In looking at the backgrounds of UFO abductees, it quickly
becomes clear that almost to a man, they have some background in
New Age or occultic beliefs," Goldman wrote. "Interestingly,
studies show that there are very few practicing Christians or Jews
amongst UFO contactees. What could this mean? Are the aliens
racists? Or does this, rather, indicate something about the belief
systems of the abductees themselves?"
Streiber was a 15-year follower of (occult mystic) G. I.
Gurdjieff, and his "occultic belief system includes Zen, alchemy,
witchcraft, shamanism, tarot, hermeticism, and 'mystical'
Christianity," Goldman wrote. Moreover, says Goldman, "in an
interview with author Douglas Winter in _Faces of Fear,_ a book
profiling horror writers, Streiber says, 'I am a student of the
great thirteenth-century mystic, Meister Eckhart. I have been a
witch. I have experimented with worshipping the earth as a
goddess/mother.'"
Streiber was one of the leading drawing cards at the Whole Life
Expo in New York City, October 6-8, 1989 -- the largest New Age
festival ever held on the East Coast. But he was not the only
workshop leader who spoke about space beings. A number of people
representing UFO sects were manning their booths -- spreading their
messages of benevolent space brothers and furnishing instructions
from outer space on how mere humans could usher in a new Golden
Age. At the same time a handful of UFO "experts" were giving
workshops on topics like how to welcome the space brothers to
planet Earth so they can help us save ourselves from destruction.
One of the older UFO groups represented was the Jesusonian
Foundation, which follows the teachings of _The Urantia Book._
According to the foundation's booklet, "Origins of The Urantia
Book," the 2,000-plus page book was penned by "numerous supermortal
(angel-like) beings" working in accord with a small group of people
headed by a Chicago psychiatrist in the 1920s. _The Urantia Book_
teaches that God is a "trinity of trinities," that the human race
never had a fall, and that humans are moving forward through
progressive revelation to become fused with God. The book also
gives a detailed "account" (or gospel) of the life of Christ which
declares that Jesus did not die to satisfy the Father's justice and
wrath.
Another group represented at the festival was the rapidly
growing Raelian movement, founded by French writer Claude Vorilhon
(allegedly renamed "Rael" by the space aliens). In a booklet
entitled "Help us welcome Extra-terrestrials," Vorilhon claims that
on December 13, 1973, "in a volcanic crater located in the center
of France," he "met with a space-craft from which emerged a small
human-like being" that looked like a child. Vorilhon said the space
being chose him as the one to spread "the greatest message ever
revealed to humanity" and that he would be an apostle of a new
world order.
The message was that he was to prepare humanity "for the Age of
Apocalypse or the Age of Revelation," which was kicked off by the
explosion of the first atomic bomb in 1945. The space being also
told him that life was created by aliens in an outer space DNA
laboratory.
The Raelian movement is surprisingly large and organized: it
claims 30,000 members worldwide, and has more than a dozen offices
throughout the world -- including ones in Japan, Africa,
Switzerland, Mexico, Canada, and three offices in the U.S.: Los
Angeles, Las Vegas, and Miami.
Other UFO groups include The Aetherius Society (which is also
one of the oldest and largest UFO sects), the One World Family, the
Mark Age Metacenter, the Solar Light Center, the Solar Cross
Foundation, the Universal Mind Church, the Ashtar Command, the
Earth Mission Interplanetary Outreach, the Unarius Educational
Foundation, and the Amalgamated Flying Saucer Clubs of America.
-------------
*Mormon Church Secretly Alters Its Temple Rituals*
The secret temple "Endowment" rituals of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) have been changed -- and
the church is mum on the reasons why.
At least six significant portions of the Endowment ceremony
Mormons perform in temples worldwide have been eliminated: a film
segment that shows a Christian minister working hand-in-hand with
Lucifer to deceive mankind for profit by teaching orthodox
Christian doctrine; three morbid gestures that imply Mormon
initiates will lose their lives (through having their throats
slashed, their hearts torn out, and their abdomens cut open) if
they reveal temple secrets; the chanting in unison of Pay Lay Ale,
Pay Lay Ale, Pay Lay Ale (supposedly meaning "Oh God, hear the
words of my mouth" in the "Adamic language"); and the _Five Points
of Fellowship_ in which initiates embrace "the Lord" through
openings in the veil of the temple.
Also removed were two activities affecting female Mormons: they
are no longer required to veil their faces during the prayer in the
Endowment prayer circle; and, women no longer have to swear an oath
and covenant of obedience to their husbands.
According to Mormon doctrine, participation in the Endowment
ritual is necessary to receive eternal life.
Sources close to the Mormon church said the changes went into
effect during the LDS General Conference in early April when all or
most of the 19 Mormon temples in North America were closed for this
major renovation. When they reopened on April 10, a new film and
audio tape were in place for the Endowment ceremonies.
Although about 80 percent of all Mormons never go through this
ceremony, many of the remaining 20 percent do so once a month, with
some devout Mormons participating daily -- believing they are doing
so on behalf of dead persons.
What is a mystery to many, including those in the rank-and-file
of the 7.3-million-member church, is how these drastic changes
could have gone into effect without a formal revelation through the
current living "prophet," Ezra Taft Benson, and without an
announcement given at the General Conference or by other public
means. Mormons are taught that the temple rituals were given
through a direct revelation from God to church founder Joseph
Smith.
"So far the people are delighted" over the changes, said church
spokesman Don LeFevre. But he refused to disclose what brought them
about, or to explain why there was never a public announcement of
them. "We can't tell you that because of our deep feeling about the
temples, which we view literally as the house of the Lord," he
said. "We do not publicly discuss specifics of our sacred temple."
Sandra Tanner of the Utah Lighthouse Ministry in Salt Lake City
(a leading Christian ministry to Mormons) said the changes probably
stem from pressures both inside and outside the church. The
Endowment ceremony was criticized by both Christians and feminists,
and people were not going because it was too repetitious and too
long," she said. "This shortens it and makes it easier for people."
It is also known that Mormons were becoming frustrated with the
exposes and criticisms of the temple rituals being disseminated by
Christian ministries. On the Christian Research Institute's "Bible
Answer Man" program (December 13-14, 1989) ex-Mormons Chuck and
Dolly Sackett of Sword of the Shepherd Ministries in Thousand Oaks,
California played several taped segments of the actual Endowment
ritual and answered callers' questions concerning them.
Christian countercult ministries see the changes as an
opportunity to evangelize Mormons. "I think it's an opportunity for
Christians to present a challenge to Mormon people that their god
is not the God of the Bible," Tanner said. "Their god is one who
has to come back at a later time to rewrite his revelation and
correct it to make it fit with current practice and acceptance."
In other news involving the Mormon church, in April Helvecio
Martins, 59, of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was named to the Quorum of
Seventy (an international church leadership position), thereby
becoming the sect's first black "general authority." Before 1978 no
black could even belong to the priesthood in the church. Tanner
speculated that Martins's selection was intended to neutralize
highly publicized charges of racism directed at the church. On
September 1, 1989, General Authority George P. Lee, a Navajo
Indian, charged leaders with racism after he was excommunicated
from the church.
-- _Chuck and Dolly Sackett, with William M. Alnor_
-------------
*The Christ Has Presented His Credentials to the Media, New Age
Organization Says*
A man claiming to be "Lord Maitreya" presented his credentials
as the messiah before 200 media representatives and world leaders
at an April 21-22 conference in London, according to the Tara
Center of Los Angeles.
But Lynne Craft, spokeswoman for the organization founded by
British New Age author Benjamin Creme, declined to say where the
meeting took place and who the 200 conference participants were.
She did say a member of a royal family and a Christian church
bishop attended, along with various dignitaries and members of the
intelligentsia.
Craft added that the man, who claims to be the "World Teacher"
-- the Maitreya Buddha, the Messiah, the Imam Mahdi, or the Christ
-- presented his credentials and astounded some of the
conference-goers by "appearing, then disappearing." "He
dematerialized in front of people," she said.
Asked why the so-called "historic conference" had not been
reported in any prominent newspapers (by press time), Craft
maintained that the timing of the release of the journalists'
stories was up to them. She said that of the 200 attending the
conference with "Lord Maitreya," about 50 were reporters.
According to a Tara Center advertisement published in
newspapers throughout the U.S. in early April announcing the
"historic global conference," "Maitreya has come as a spiritual
teacher, primarily to inspire humanity to rebuild the world justly
and fairly...His stimulus already underlies the freedom movement in
Europe and Asia."
The advertisement claims that "Maitreya's forecasts of world
events, from the Armenian earthquake, the British Poll Tax revolt,
to the freeing of Nelson Mandela, have been released over the past
two years and are still being released to the public. The April
conference is a prelude to Declaration Day [the date has not been
revealed], when Maitreya will present His credentials to humanity
itself."
Such proclamations are reminiscent of a previous advertisement
(April 1982) which Creme's organization paid $200,000 to place in
prominent newspapers worldwide. It boldly announced, "THE CHRIST IS
NOW HERE." Creme followed that advertisement with a press
conference in which he proclaimed that Maitreya would appear before
the end of spring. (Creme's announcement created a sensation and
alarm in some quarters of the church, with several authors claiming
that the Antichrist of the Bible was about to be revealed.)
Since that time, Creme has been vague as to the identity of
Maitreya and has urged reporters to try to find him for themselves.
According to an August 18, 1986 interview published in the (Grand
Rapids) _Michigan Press,_ Creme claims that "for thousands of years
Maitreya has lived in the Himalayas, in the mountain center which
is about 17,500 feet up." On July 8, 1977 he allegedly descended in
a "self-created body" and has been since living in the Asian-Indian
community in the east end of London, in what's called the Brick
Lane area.
In a telephone interview, Craft would not give the name
Maitreya has assumed, but said it is the Asian equivalent of "Mr.
Smith" in the English language, meaning that it was an
ordinary-sounding name.
The Tara Center, through its publications -- the _Network News_
and _Share International_ -- has been tying in alleged appearances
of Maitreya in Africa with alleged mysterious appearances of
crosses of light in Louisiana and California. The organization has
also been mailing out black and white photographs to reporters of
a white-gowned man they claim is the Lord Maitreya as he has
appeared in Africa.
But Craft said the man in those pictures (which have been
published in the _National Enquirer_ and other publications) does
not necessarily look like the one who appeared in London. "He
appears in a form that will inspire recognition immediately," she
said.
Asked how she knows she is not being fooled by a man claiming
to be Maitreya, Craft replied: "People either respond to it or they
don't. It's not a dogmatic matter....If it has the ring of truth to
it you may accept it, you may not have to."
-------------
End of document, CRJ0073A.TXT (original CRI file name),
"News Watch"
release A, April 25, 1994
R. Poll, CRI
(A special note of thanks to Bob and Pat Hunter for their help in
the preparation of this ASCII file for BBS circulation.)
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